Thursday, January 22, 2015

Maxine Sullivan - S as In Sullivan, Maxine Vol 1

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:13
Size: 110.4 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[3:06] 1. Say It With A Kiss
[3:11] 2. Dark Eyes
[2:31] 3. Kinda Lonesome
[3:24] 4. Night And Day
[2:45] 5. I';m Happy About The Whole Thing
[2:43] 6. Annie Laurie
[2:27] 7. I'm Comin', Virginia
[3:06] 8. Blue Skies
[3:07] 9. Moments Like This
[3:26] 10. Corn Pickin'
[2:47] 11. When Your Lover Has Gone
[3:03] 12. Easy To Love
[2:54] 13. Nice Work If You Can Get It
[3:15] 14. My Curly Headed Baby
[3:38] 15. It Ain't Necessarily So
[2:42] 16. Just Like A Gypsy

A subtle and lightly swinging jazz singer, Maxine Sullivan's delivery was very likable, and she did justice to all of the lyrics she sang during her long career. After moving to New York, Sullivan sang during intermissions at the Onyx Club and was discovered by pianist Claude Thornhill. Thornhill recorded her with a sympathetic septet singing a couple of standards and two Scottish folk songs performed in swinging fashion -- "Annie Laurie" and "Loch Lomond." The latter became a big hit and Sullivan's signature song for the rest of her career.

Future sessions found her singing vintage folk tunes such as "Darling Nellie Gray," "I Dream of Jeanie," "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes" and "If I Had a Ribbon Bow." Even if lightning did not strike twice, she was now a popular attraction. She appeared briefly in the movie Going Places opposite Louis Armstrong and in the Broadway show Swingin' the Dream. From 1940-1942, Sullivan often sang with her husband, bassist John Kirby's Sextet, a perfect outlet for her cool sound. She starred for two years on a radio series, Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm; she had a reasonably successful solo career, and then in the mid-'50s (similar to Alberta Hunter) became a trained nurse. In 1968, the singer began making a comeback, performing at festivals and even playing a little bit of valve trombone and flügelhorn. Now married to pianist Cliff Jackson, Sullivan (whose style and appealing voice were unchanged from earlier years) sometimes appeared with the World's Greatest Jazz Band, and she recorded frequently. During her later period, she often sang with mainstream jazz groups, including Scott Hamilton's. Quite fittingly, the last song that she ever recorded in concert was the same as her first record, "Loch Lomond." Maxine Sullivan's earliest recordings are available on a Classics CD. A Tono LP has some of her mid-period recordings, and from 1969 on, she recorded for Monmouth Evergreen (reissued on Audiophile), Fat Cat Jazz, Riff, Kenneth, Stash, Atlantic, and Concord. ~bio by Scott Yanow

S as In Sullivan, Maxine Vol 1

JMood - No Small Thing

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:26
Size: 120.0 MB
Styles: Crossover jazz
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[4:20] 1. Brighter Than Sunshine
[4:19] 2. Blackbird
[5:16] 3. Consider Me Gone
[4:21] 4. Loving A Person
[4:44] 5. Hope Restored
[5:54] 6. Last Time I Felt The Sun
[3:41] 7. Don't Wait Too Long
[5:52] 8. Harvest Moon
[3:19] 9. Pick Yourself Up
[4:23] 10. Who Are You
[6:11] 11. Desafinado

“No Small Thing” is the second release on Blue Canoe Records and is a captivating compilation of covers and intelligent, home-grown numbers that expose the brilliance of the Carrozza clan. Mrs. Jennifer Carrozza is classically trained and has been singing professionally for nearly 20 years. Keyboard/Producer/Engineer/Solo Artist John Carrozza has featured parts on the platinum selling Boyz II Men album “Evolution” and has worked with Grammy winning jazz superstar Earl Klugh.

“No Small Thing” opens with the classic in the pop rock world, Aqualung’s Brighter Then Sunshine. “…suddenly you’re mine”, sings Jennifer Carrozza as the listener is drawn into the dynamic odyssey. With the use of lush instrumentation, Mr. Carrozza sets up the voyage perfectly. The Carrozza’s fall effortlessly into the McCartney standard Blackbird. The Carrozza connection of piano and vocals is haunting and memorable…adding a novel take on the classic. From there, J-Mood travels effortlessly from Sting to Neil Young to winning melodies of their own. Of note, John Carrozza’s own Hope Restored composition is an emotional contemporary jazz number with energizing give-and-take between Sam Skelton’s genius sax and John Carrozza’s expressive piano stylings.
No Small Thing is a smart, diverse must-have that falls right into the spiritual hip pocket of the audience’s subconscious. Classic and contemporary at the same time, The Carrozza team leave an important impression while using all the colors in the palette. It is, indeed, No Small Thing.

No Small Thing

Gwyneth Herbert - Bittersweet and Blue

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:44
Size: 114,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:05)  1. Fever
(3:36)  2. (Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night
(4:14)  3. The Very Thought Of You
(3:11)  4. It's Alright With Me
(4:17)  5. Bittersweet And Blue
(4:18)  6. Glory Box
(2:41)  7. Every Time We Say Goodbye
(2:57)  8. Almost Like Being In Love
(4:48)  9. At Seventeen
(4:44) 10. Into Temptation
(3:22) 11. A Little Less
(4:08) 12. Fallen
(3:16) 13. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Gwyneth Herbert sounded like a star from the first time she opened her mouth in the Soho Pizza Express Jazz Club last year; this is the first product of her signing to Universal. Herbert mixes Broadway songs with a few originals and torchy classics such as Fever, Portishead's Glory Box and Tom Waits's Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night. Backed by a fine band including saxist Nigel Hitchcock and guitarist John Parricelli, she has a precociously powerful chemistry of taste and meticulous care for every sound from a whisper to an exhortation. 

Fever sounds as if it was right inside your head; her Tom Waits interpretation is subtle and warm; The Very Thought of You floats like smoke; the original title track, Janis Ian's Seventeen and Herbert's own Fallen all purr with the singer's remarkably tender composure. Although Herbert is an immensely moving interpreter of good lyrics on conventional songs rather than an improvising jazz singer, not many listeners are going to mind the difference. ~ John Fordham  http://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/sep/24/jazz.shopping1

Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin'

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:44
Size: 123,9 MB
Art: Front

( 9:24)  1. Cool Struttin'
(10:20)  2. Blue Minor
( 8:19)  3. Sippin' At Bells
( 9:34)  4. Deep Night
( 9:02)  5. Royal Flush
( 7:03)  6. Lover*

Recorded in 1958, this legendary date with the still-undersung Sonny Clark in the leader's chair also featured a young Jackie McLean on alto (playing with a smoother tone than he had before or ever did again), trumpeter Art Farmer, and the legendary rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, both from the Miles Davis band. The set begins with one of the preeminent "swinging medium blues" pieces in jazz history: the title track with its leveraged fours and eights shoved smoothly up against the walking bass of Chambers and the backbeat shuffle of Jones. Clark's solo, with its grouped fifths and sevenths, is a wonder of both understatement and groove, while Chambers' arco solo turns the blues in on itself. 

While there isn't a weak note on this record, there are some other tracks that stand out, most notably Miles' "Sippin' at Bells," with its loping Latin rhythm. When McLean takes his solo against a handful of Clark's shaded minor chords, he sounds as if he may blow it  he comes out a little quick but he recovers nicely and reaches for a handful of Broadway show tunes to counter the minor mood of the piece. He shifts to both Ben Webster and Lester Young before moving through Bird, and finally to McLean himself, riding the margin of the changes to slip just outside enough to add some depth in the middle register. The LP closes with Henderson and Vallée's "Deep Night," the only number in the batch not rooted in the blues. It's a classic hard bop jamming tune and features wonderful solos by Farmer, who plays weird flatted notes all over the horn against the changes, and McLean, who thinks he's playing a kind of snake charmer blues in swing tune. This set deserves its reputation for its soul appeal alone. [Some reissues include two bonus tracks: "Royal Flush" and "Lover."] ~ Thom Jurek  http://www.allmusic.com/album/cool-struttin-mw0000241425

Personnel: Sonny Clark (piano); Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Art Farmer (trumpet); Paul Chambers (acoustic bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums).


Cool Struttin'

Rachelle Ferrell - Individuality

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:51
Size: 138,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:53)  1. Individuality  (Can I Be Me?)
(3:59)  2. Sista
(6:17)  3. Will You Remember Me
(5:30)  4. I Forgive You
(5:06)  5. I Gotta Go
(5:30)  6. Why You Wanna Mess It All Up
(5:44)  7. Gaia
(4:04)  8. Run To Me
(5:10)  9. Reflections Of My Heart
(5:32) 10. Satisfied
(8:02) 11. I Can Explain

Rachelle Ferrell is back, if not with a vengeance, at least with an attitude. An attitude of confidence, perseverance and hope. Jazz enthusiasts couldn't help but be bowled over by Ferrell's extraordinary technique on her 1995 Blue Note album, First Instrument. And then, nothing. Reports of occasional performances here, irregular publicity there. What happened to her? We may never know, except that Ferrell has moved from Philadelphia to New Mexico and has attained the peace that many find in the union with nature there. Individuality (Can I Be Me?) , though, hints strongly that Ferrell has gone through some tough times. Not only that, the titles of the tunes imply an identity crisis. No wonder. Her work on Blue Note was one-of-a-kind, but was it jazz, or was it overcompensation? Was it scat, or was it gimmickry? It seems that her audiences were divided in their reactions, although they agreed on the astounding depth of her talent. 

Well, Ferrell's identity seems to dwell within an R&D sensibility. All of the vocal techniques that Ferrell employed earlier gutturalisms, purrs, peeps, siren-like cranking up of intensity, growls and moans are appropriate to the material she wrote for Individuality (Can I Be Me?). The coquetry and hurt that seep through her delivery assume consistency with meaning on "I Forgive You". In contrast, Ferrell's irrepressibility sometimes overpowered the wholeness of her expression in the jazz idiom, which depends on group interplay.Perhaps "Reflections Of My Heart" stands out as the most melodic and expressive of the tunes on the CD. Ferrell and her younger brother Russ Barnes create a dialog of like-mindedness and belief that certainly should gain attention on the nation's R&B stations.

Rachelle Ferrell has found her own truth, it seems. Yes, she can be herself now. The convergence of self and music has led to the album that Ferrell was destined to make, jazz or no and one that is congruent with her personality. ~ AAJ Staff  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/individuality-can-i-be-me-rachelle-ferrell-capitol-records-review-by-aaj-staff.php
 
Personnel: Rachelle Ferrell, vocals; Jonathan Butler, guitar, vocals; Russ Barnes, vocals; George Duke, keyboards; Jef Lee Johnson, Tony Maiden, guitar; Byron Miller, bass; Lil' John Roberts, drums; Lenny Castro, percussion

David Ari Leon - Fragile: The Piano Tribute To R.E.M.

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:06
Size: 94,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:25)  1. Losing My Religion
(3:22)  2. The Great Beyond
(3:07)  3. The One I Love
(3:50)  4. Everybody Hurts
(3:16)  5. Imitation Of Life
(2:51)  6. So. Central Rain
(3:13)  7. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville
(3:49)  8. Leaving New York
(3:14)  9. Man On The Moon
(2:27) 10. Daysleeper
(3:14) 11. Fall On Me
(3:13) 12. Talk Of Circadian Rhythms (Original Composition Inspired By The Music Of R.E.M.)

Whether David Ari Leon is creating recordings of soothing instrumental music, full-blown edgy hard rock theme songs for companies like Marvel Entertainment on titles such as The Avengers and Astonishing X-Men, or all and everything in between, his music is equal parts artistically captivating and accessible. A classically trained pianist from an early age and a subsequent UCLA grad (with a B.A. in music composition), Leon has rendered his signature blend of acute classical expertise and emotive pop ethos to countless films, TV shows, video games, and albums. Leon’s delicately honed musical vision substantiates many popular songs, including re-imagined compositions - via Vitamin Records - of works by artists including Neil Young, R.E.M., The Cure, and Pink Floyd. ~ Bio  http://www.amazon.com/David-Ari-Leon/e/B001LHFPAG/ref=ac_dtp_sa_bio